Sustainability is becoming increasingly more important to travellers when planning their holidays.
According to Booking.com, its annual sustainable travel report states that 81% of global travellers consider sustainability a crucial factor in making decisions based on their future travel plans.
As more travellers are making informed decisions based on climate concerns, there is a growing expectation for tourism and hospitality businesses to provide sustainable and responsible experiences.
But what does this mean for local businesses, right here in the North-east?
Pre-pandemic, direct tourism expenditure in the North-east contributed more than £730 million to the local economy every year, supporting almost 18,500 jobs across 1400 diverse businesses. We know that sustainability is creeping up business agendas, and to help businesses understand exactly what they need to do become more sustainable, VisitAberdeenshire has contracted with Green Tourism to offer sustainability reviews of local businesses, at no cost, at a time of increased pressure on bottom lines.
Green Tourism is the leader in sustainability accreditation and support programmes. It has been helping tourism and hospitality businesses to improve sustainability efforts since 1998.
As part of VisitAberdeenshire’s Industry Development Programme, the sustainability reviews aim to summarise what businesses are currently doing and make suggestions as to where businesses can make positive changes.
Participants in the sustainability review simply take part in a short questionnaire that reviews current sustainability practices and the ambitions of the business. Following this, a Green Tourism representative will provide a one-to-advice session, tailored to individual needs. From here, a prioritised and tailored action plan will be created that can be implemented. Follow up sessions are offered as standard.
For the tourism sector, becoming sustainable is much more than recycling. It is about futureproofing operations, thinking smarter and working towards a carbon-reduced footprint, as well as boosting company bottom lines at a time when they need it the most.
Businesses can take the first step in their sustainability journey completing the survey here.